Everything Happens For A Reason
by Afifirechick
Summary: Troy and Gabriella are happier than ever, then their life is turned upside-down in a matter of weeks. Will they be able to stick together through everything? Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

"Troy, I'm pregnant."

Troy stared at Gabriella as if her nose had just fallen off her face. "What?" he choked.

Gabriella was crying, "I went to the doctor last Monday. They did a blood test that confirmed it. I have to go see my obstetrician tomorrow to find out how far along I am."

The basketball star crossed to the window and looked out at the slowly darkening sky. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it was quite warm that night. Even warmer now that Troy's head was spinning. He wanted to be sick and jump up and down at the same time. He didn't know what to do. He felt like he was going to turn out like his dad: working multiple minimum wage jobs, trying to finish night school and take care of a family. Nevertheless, Troy was also excited about starting a family with Gabriella. He was going to be a father. All of these feelings overtook his ability to keep his supper down and he quickly ran to the bathroom.

After ten minutes or so, Troy exited the bathroom to find Gabriella sobbing uncontrollably on the couch. "Gabby, come on." Troy helped her to her feet, led her to through the garage, and helped her into his truck. Troy backed out of the driveway and began driving toward her house. After she stopped crying, Troy wondered, "How could this have happened? We were always so careful."

"Troy. It was an accident. I'm sorry." Gabriella started crying again.

Troy reached out and took her hand, "Hey, stop that. I'm not blaming you. I'm not mad either, I just…it's…I'm stunned is all."

Gabriella squeezed Troy's hand as they pulled into her driveway and parked, "What are we going to do? We both have so much we were going to do. What will our parents say?"

"Gabby…I…why don't we talk about it tomorrow? There isn't any school until Wednesday so I can take you to your appointment and we can talk about anything you want." Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded and got out of the truck. She was going to shut the door without saying anything but Troy stopped her, "Come around to my side." He rolled down his window and when she got there, he kissed her gently, "I love you Gabriella Montez."

"I love you too, Troy. I'll see you tomorrow." Gabriella said with a slight smile.

"Bet on it." He kissed her again and watched her walk all the way into her house before backing out of the driveway and heading for his own home.

As Gabriella entered, she smelled something nauseating coming from the kitchen, "Mom?"

"In here dear," Marissa Montez called from down the hall. "Are you hungry? I'm making your favorite," she added as Gabriella entered the kitchen.

Gabriella shook her head, "No thanks, Troy and I already had dinner." She hated lying to her mother, but she wasn't sure her mom was ready to learn her daughter was having mourning sickness.

"Did you have a good time tonight?"

Gabriella stood, "Yeah, we always have a good time. Anyway, I hate to leave you alone so soon after getting home, but I have some homework to finish for Wednesday and Kelsi wants me to look over a new song she's writing so I should probably get working. I'm going to breakfast with Troy tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

"That's fine honey. I have to work in the morning anyway. Good night. Love you." Marissa uncovered the pot in which she was cooking in, sending Gabriella from the room.

Once she got to the bottom of the stairs, her nausea subsided. "Night, Mom. Love you too." Gabriella called back into the kitchen before heading up the stairs. As soon as she was safely inside her bedroom, Gabriella crawled into bed and began sobbing harder than ever. She finally was all cried out and succumbed to the exhaustion of pregnancy and fell asleep.

When Troy arrived home, he parked his truck next to his mother's car and crept in through the side door, hoping she didn't hear him. He climbed the stairs and made it almost to his room when he ran into his mom, "Hey Mom, when did you get home?"

"Just a minute ago. I was going to warm up some leftovers if you want some." Molly kissed her son on the cheek.

Troy held his stomach, remembering his vomiting episode from earlier, "No thanks Mom. If I never look at a turkey again, it'll be too soon."

"Funny. Anyway, your dad is coming home tomorrow night so it would be nice if you could be here. He really hated having to go to that conference over the holiday weekend." Troy's mother always knew how to make him feel guilty for nothing.

Troy smiled a fake smile, "Don't worry, I'll be here. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, Sweetie."

Troy finally got into his room and locked the door. Instead of going to sleep, he sat behind his desk, looking at the pictures of him and Gabriella and thinking of everything that had happened in the past hour and everything that would take place the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

3 Months Earlier

"What up Wildcats?" Chad hopped over the fence into Troy's backyard, "Hey Coach! Those steaks done yet?"

Coach Bolton handed Troy an empty platter, "Not quite. Take that in the kitchen and tell Troy to get his butt down here."

Chad went inside, deposited the dish in the sink, and headed up the stairs to Troy's room. He knocked quickly and opened the door, "Hey dude, your…whoa!"

Gabriella and Troy sprang apart, "Hey man, what's going on?"

"Uh…what's going on here?" Chad gave them a look saying he knew exactly what they were doing.

Gabriella blushed, but teased back, "Like you don't know. Taylor and I talk."

"I'm going to need to have a talk with that girl. Anyway, man, your dad is holding the steaks hostage. He says you need to get down there." Chad exited the room and thumped down the stairs.

Troy pulled Gabriella close and gave her another long kiss, "You know I love you, right?"

"What do you want?" Gabriella giggled.

Troy pretended to be offended, "Nothing. Why do you always assume I want something?"

"Because you do. You can't fool me." Gabriella pinched his sides.

Troy laughed, "Ow! All right, you win, sort of. See, the barbeque is only for the team. I'm sure they'd let you stay, but… Anyway, I want you to take my truck and go home for a little while. I'll call you when we are done and then we can go out or whatever. Sound okay to you?"

Gabriella grabbed Troy's keys off his desk, "No problem."

"Hey," Troy grabbed Gabriella around the waist before she could run out of his room, "I really do love you."

Gabriella smiled, "I love you too, Troy." She kissed him quickly, "So you'll call me when you get done hanging with your boys?"

"You know it. I'll see you later," Troy kissed her again and waved as she left. He stood in a trance for a minute before running to the window and calling down to her, "Hey, don't wreck it." Gabriella just laughed before getting in and driving away. He turned and went downstairs and into the backyard.

"Troy! You're still here! We saw your truck leave and we thought you were in it." Zeke high-fived the team captain.

Troy shook his head, "Nah. Gabriella stopped by, but I told her I already had plans. I told her to take the truck and she could bring it back when I get done hanging out with my team!"

"What team?" Chad jumped to his feet.

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"Wildcats!"

"Get'cha head in the game!"

Just as they were about to head onto the court for a little game time, their coach distracted them, "Guys, steaks are done!"

Everyone looked around. Chad tossed the ball over his shoulder, "Ball can wait. Let's eat!"

The Wildcats gathered around the grill as Jack Bolton handed out the steaks. "The rest of the food is on the table. Don't forget to leave me some!" Jack called into the mob of hungry teenage boys.

After everyone had eaten, Coach Bolton took over, "Alright, let's give this food some time to settle and then I want to run a few new plays. In the meantime, I want to talk. Now I know we are light right now because we don't know what our freshman lineup is going to look like. I wish I could keep you guys on the team but half of you are graduating at the end of this year. And I know what a lot of you are thinking, so stop worrying. Even though Troy will be gone, I'm going to continue to coach. I will need a new assistant coach though, so ask your parents and see if any of them can help. Now that that's done, let's talk about the game…" Coach Bolton began to run through plays and a new strategy for the year. After his big pre-season pep talk, they went through the plays on the court for hours until it was almost dark. Finally, their coach told them to go home and rest before disappearing into the house.

As Chad limped away, he turned toward Troy, "Talk about dedication. Have fun with Gabriella tonight. Taylor and I were supposed to go out, but I think I might just invite her over to watch a movie or something. I love your dad man, but he is a slave driver."

"Hey, Chad. What do you think of Gabriella? I mean, do you like her?" Troy was curious about what his best friend really thought of his girlfriend.

Chad shrugged, "I get along with her and I think she's great for you. So I'd say yeah, I like her."

"Yeah, me too," Troy was half daydreaming.

Chad punched him, "Yeah, I know. Night, Romeo."

Troy waved and jogged into the kitchen. Unlike the guys, Troy was used to these kinds of workouts, so he wasn't feeling a thing. He picked up his cell phone and called Gabriella, "Hey beautiful. Yeah, we're done. Give me twenty minutes or so? Okay. Love You. Bye." He went upstairs to shower and change when he met his dad coming out of the bathroom, "Hey, did you need me for anything because I'm supposed to be going out with Gabriella tonight?"

"You let her take your truck? Brave man," Jack didn't answer his son's question.

Troy folded his arms, "Dad! I need to shower and I need to know if I'm putting clothes on to go out or if I'm staying here and going to bed."

"Go out. Have a good time. Once school starts, you'll need to work hard in your classes and on the court. Gabriella might have to take a backseat for a while. I'm not saying break up, I'm just saying that instead of going out, have her come over here for dinner and studying." Jack suggested.

Troy brushed past him and stood in the bathroom door, "Thanks Dad, I'll keep that in mind. Curfew?"

Jack was quiet for a minute, then replied, "Don't worry about it tonight. You're old enough to make your own decisions. Don't forget your keys, because I'm not going to wait up and let you in. Have a good time tonight."

"Thanks Dad, "Troy shut the bathroom door to begin getting ready for his first curfew-free date.

Twenty minutes later, Troy met Gabriella in the driveway and kicked her out of the driver's seat, "You had your fun, but it's still my car." He threw a bag in the back before climbing in to drive.

"What's in the bag?" Gabriella asked suspiciously.

Troy backed out of the driveway and began to drive down the road away from town, "Dinner, and a few surprises. What time do you have to be home?"

"My mom is packing right now. She has to catch a plane in an hour to go to the New York office to help them out before their big review next week." Gabriella explained.

Troy grinned, "Are you saying you don't have a curfew?"

"That's what I'm saying." Gabriella giggled.

Troy turned down a road that Gabriella had never noticed before. It wasn't really a road anyway. "Great! We've got plenty of time then."

"Plenty of time for what? Where are we going?" Gabriella demanded with a smile.

Troy shook his head, "You'll see. It's a surprise. You are going to love it."

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Soon, they pulled up in front of a small building with a fence around it.

"What is this place?" Gabriella asked with curiosity.

Troy shut off the truck and turned to face Gabriella, "Do you remember Eric Carson?"

"The sophomore on your team." Gabriella answered.

"That's him. Well if you also remember, he wasn't very good. I offered to help him, expecting nothing for it, just a better team. He came over to the house a couple of times and I showed him a few things. He's gotten a lot better. He gave me a key and told me I could come use the pool or anything whenever I wanted. His parents OK'd it as long as they know ahead of time that I'm coming. His family left to go on vacation for a week in the Bahamas. His parents OK'd it and he said I could use the facilities while they are gone. The guard has my name so it's not going to be a problem to get in or anything." Troy explained in detail.

Gabriella shifted, "I don't know Troy. It feels wrong,"

Troy grabbed her hands, "Come on, it'll be fine. Okay, if I must tell you, they have a "lagoon." It has plant life, waterfalls, a Jacuzzi thing, and a stereo. Plus, we're allowed to be here. What about when we went swimming in the club pool?"

"Troy, I got in trouble for that." Gabriella replied, still unsure.

Troy smoothed his hair out of his face, "Yeah, but wasn't it fun? Besides, as I said, we're allowed to be here. Look if you are uncomfortable now or anytime while we are here, we will leave. Okay?"

Gabriella nodded, "All right, let's fro it."

The pair climbed out of the truck and Troy grabbed the bag, before approaching the fence and opening a small box next to the gate. Inside was a phone, which Troy picked up and held to his ear, "Yes. Troy Bolton. Yes sir. No, no drowning tonight. Okay, thank you. Feel better." Troy hung the phone back up as the gate slid slowly open. "Let's go."

"What did he say?" Gabriella whispered quietly as they walked past the huge pool toward the building.

Troy led Gabriella around pool chairs and stopped in front of the door of the building, "Just asked my name, said he was expecting me, told me he has a bug or something, that he's going to lay down, and to please, not drown." Troy took out the key and unlocked the door.

When Troy opened the door, Gabriella was stunned. There was an ivy-like plant climbing the walls, three small pools on different levels surrounded by rocks, and a waterfall connecting each one. The ceiling was a giant mirror. There was also a stereo inside a clear case, so the water didn't damage it. "Troy, this is beautiful. I can't believe I didn't want to come here."

"Told you. Eric invited us all over here one day for lunch. We didn't swim or anything, but he showed us around. I've wanted to bring you here since then." Troy pulled Gabriella close for a slow, seductive kiss. "So, are you ready to enjoy the night?" Troy unzipped his bag. Pulled out a few CD's and popped them into the stereo. Then he pulled out a blanket to spread on the floor, along with some sandwiches and other finger foods, "It's like a picnic, only inside. I'm sorry about the food. I'm not much of a cook."

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck, "The food is great. This place is great. This whole night is going to be great. I love you." She and Troy sat down on the blanket and began talking and picking at the food.

After an hour or so, Troy stood up, "Well, I'm ready to get wet. How about you?"

"Sure. What are we going to where?" Gabriella also stood up.

Troy looked around, "You know, I think I forgot the suits."

"What? Are we supposed to get in wearing our underwear?" Gabriella questioned.

"If you want. I personally feel like skinny-dipping." Troy stripped down to nothing and stepped into the pool closest to them.

Gabriella was taken aback, "Troy! I can't do that. It's not right. What if someone sees?"

"Like I said, if you want to wear your underwear, that's up to you. But just remember, no one will see you because a) there are no windows, b) the door is locked, c) the only one here is the guard, and d) he's asleep. I will even turn around while you undress." Troy made a gentlemanly gesture and turned his back on Gabriella. A minute later, Gabriella slipped into the water next to Troy, also wearing nothing. Troy turned around, "See, that wasn't so bad."

Gabriella giggled, "This is very wrong."

Troy started to laugh, but caught a glimpse of Gabriella's underwater, sobering him immediately, "God you are so beautiful." Troy wrapped his arms around her sand pulled her close, kissing her softly.

"Troy…" Gabriella started to push him away, but couldn't help but to kiss him back.

After what seemed like hours of kissing and embracing, Troy broke their bond, "Gab, I want to talk to you about something important. Now if you don't like what I'm saying, stop me and I will be fine, but just hear me out. I love you more than anything. I have always loved you. I like who I am when I am with you. I want to marry you someday and have a family with you. If you say no, I'll understand and we can forget it. Gabriella, I want you to be the first and only person I ever make love to. I'd like that to be tonight, in this wonderful place."

Gabriella sat in silence for a minute, "Troy, I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I want to be with you too, but do you really think we are ready?"

"Gabriella, do you love me?"

She nodded, "Of course."

"And do you want to marry me and spend our whole lives together?"

Again, she nodded, "More than anything."

"And we both know the risks. I think we are ready. Anyway, you can stop me at anytime. I want to do this together and if you aren't 100 certain this is what you want, we will wait." Troy stated honestly.

A few minutes later, Gabriella slid onto Troy's lap, "I'm ready." She wrapped her arms around him and began kissing him slowly, then more fiercely. Troy started holding her tighter, as if she could never be close enough to him. After a while, Gabriella broke free of his hold, "Troy, I don't really want my first time to be in the water."

Troy couldn't stop kissing her, "There's…the…blanket."

Gabriella pulled away and lifted herself out of the water. Troy quickly followed, lowering Gabriella to the blanket and continuing to kiss her. "Troy, do you have a condom?" Gabriella was already breathing hard.

Troy groaned a little, "Yeah, hang on." He crawled over to his jeans and withdrew a small plastic wrapper from one of the pockets.

"Were you planning this?" Gabriella teased.

Troy shook his head while attempting to get the condom on, "No, just hoping." Following a few more minutes of difficulty, Troy finally got it on.

"Troy…" Gabriella pulled him in to kiss her again.

Troy stopped, "Gabby, are you sure this is what you want? We don't have to."

She grinned, "Well I want you, so I'd have to say yes. I love you Troy."

"I love you too Gabriella." After another kiss and quick hip movement, he was inside her. They both moaned with pleasure. Gabriella gasped suddenly.

Troy stopped moving, "Oh my god. Am I hurting you? Do you want me to stop?"

"I don't think so." Gabriella pulled Troy down to her mouth so she could kiss him passionately.

Troy got into a rhythm with Gabriella and their pleasure rose. All at once, Gabriella began moaning louder and faster. Troy sped up the rhythm to please his love. As her moaning hit its peak, Troy was pushed over the edge and joined her in her orgasm.

A few minutes later, Troy laid down next to Gabriella and kissed the side of her neck, "That was wonderful. Was it good for you?"

"No," she rolled toward him and laid her head on his shoulder, "it was better than I ever could have imagined it would be. I love you, Troy."

"I love you too, Gabriella. More than I will ever be able to tell you. You are my everything. I can't wait to be able to start my life with you." Troy was happier than he had ever been.

After a short while of lying there, just holding each other and enjoying the silence, Gabriella sat up, "Troy, I really think we should go. I'm starting to get tired."

"Really?" Troy hoped she wasn't regretting what they had done.

Gabriella playfully punched his arm, "Don't give me that look. I'd love to spend the entire night beside you, but I really am tired. Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"Anything you want." Troy replied, willing to spend every available minute with Gabriella.

She giggled and began putting her clothes back on. Troy jumped to his feet, "Let me help you." She already had her pants on but he helped her clasp her bra behind her back. Before helping her with her shirt, he left a trail of kisses across her shoulders. He slipped the shirt over her head, from which point she took over and finished dressing herself.

"That was nice," Gabriella started folding the blanket and picking up the food containers as Troy hastily threw on his clothing. "I was thinking we could rent a couple of movies tomorrow and have lunch and dinner together. Does that work for you?"

"Anything you say." Troy was getting his CD's and stuffing things back in his bag.

Gabriella stopped what she was doing and crossed her arms, "Troy, what are you doing? You aren't going to start acting weird now are you?"

"I'm sorry, Gabby. I'm just so happy and tired that I guess I'm a little loopy. Still want to be with me?" Troy wrapped his arms around her waist.

Gabriella giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I suppose I could keep you." She kissed Troy quickly and picked up the rest of the debris from Troy's bag, "I'm going to the truck. I'll see you in a few minutes."

As soon as Gabriella was outside, Troy sat down and took a deep breath. He had just had sex. He knew he was glowing and he hoped they had done the right thing. He got back up, collected his bag, and exited into the night, locking the door behind him. He put his bag in the back and climbed into his already-running truck next to Gabriella, "In a hurry to go?"

"Huh? Oh, I was using the heater to dry my hair off some." Gabriella explained, giving her head a slight shake.

Troy laughed at the thought of her using his truck as a hairdryer. As they drove down the road in silence, many thoughts swirled through Troy's head. So many, he couldn't stay silent, "Did you have a good time tonight?"

Gabriella hummed, "It was breathtaking."

"Do you think this is going to change us?" Troy pondered.

She shrugged, "Well maybe, but it'll be for the better, I think. Look, we didn't do anything wrong. We are two responsible people and we knew what we were doing. Don't worry about it"

"Are we…" Troy paused, "I mean, do we tell people?"

Gabriella gave Troy a strange look, "What? Like, Mom, I have something to tell you… I had sex."

"No, I mean Taylor and Chad. And not call them up and tell them all about it, but if it comes up in a conversation, I don't think I'll be able to lie." Troy tried to make it sound better than he had the first time.

Gabriella turned to look out the window, "I don't see why not. I mean, Taylor and I tell each other everything, but let's keep it to ourselves for a while. You know, I thought this was going to change me and I was right."

"Different how?" Troy was worried.

Gabriella smiled and leaned her head on Troy's shoulder, "I'm more in love with you now than ever."

Troy smiled and put an arm around his girlfriend, "Me too." He drove Gabriella home with a better feeling in his heart. As the pulled into the driveway, Gabriella sat up and prepared to get out. Troy parked the truck, "You are just dying to get away from me, aren't you?"

"Would you give it a rest? I was lying on your shifting arm you dork. So, you'll pick up the movies and I'll see you around one o'clock?" Gabriella confirmed their plans.

Troy nodded, "Of course. There are a couple new movies out that look good. Are you sure you don't want me to come over any earlier?"

"Troy Bolton! It's almost three in the morning. I do need to get some sleep. Do you want to stay for dinner too?" Gabriella got out of the truck and walked around to Troy's window.

"If you don't mind." Troy leaned out the window and gave Gabriella a big kiss.

Gabriella smiled and shrugged, "Well I was actually thinking of inviting Chad and Taylor over. If you come over at one and they come over at seven, we'd have six hours to ourselves to do whatever. Or you could come over at noon?" Gabriella traced her fingers along Troy's arm, making him shiver.

"So I'd have to share you? Oh, I guess. We've got all afternoon to ourselves. So, you said I could come over at noon and I'll bring the movies. Is there anything else you want me to bring?" Troy asked sweetly.

Gabriella shook her head, "No, I have everything I need for lunch and dinner, but maybe some chips and soda. I thought about having the three of you stay the night. I think we are all responsible enough for that, but you'll have to ask your parents, and don't lie. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Here's the key to my house, so just come on in when you get here. Don't lose it please. I love you."

Troy pulled Gabriella to him, "I love you too. Thanks for making this the best night of my life." He kissed her softly.

Gabriella started backing toward her front door, "Best night so far. Good night." With a quick smile and wave, Gabriella disappeared into the house.

"I'm going to marry that girl someday," Troy sighed and went home to get some sleep before returning later that day.


	3. Chapter 3

Back to Present

"Good morning. How did you sleep?" Troy opened the door for Gabriella so she could climb into the truck.

Gabriella yawned, "I slept all night and I still feel exhausted. How about you?"

"I didn't sleep all that much. I tried, but it didn't work so well. So I was thinking we'd drive over to that café with the really good smoothies to talk for a while before going to your appointment." Troy suggested.

"Sounds okay to me." Gabriella replied as Troy backed out of the driveway. Neither of them said a word until they had arrived at the café. They both had too much to say to talk about it in a moving vehicle. When they went in, Troy was going to order a garlic bagel with cream cheese, but Gabriella talked him out of it, "Sorry, but the smell with make me sick." Instead, he ordered a banana nut muffing and a strawberry-orange smoothie and Gabriella got grape juice and plain toast.

"Don't you need to eat more than that?" Troy questioned, slightly concerned.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "No. I can't eat more than this without throwing up. It's better to eat what little I can than to eat a lot and throw it all back up. Now we really need to talk about what we are going to do. For one, I'm not getting rid of it. Abortion or adoption is out of the question. Two, if you don't want the baby, that's your decision and I won't try to change you mind. Three…"

"Of course I want the baby," Troy interrupted, "You and me made a baby together and I love you. I'm not going to bail on you, no matter what. We're in this together. I actually looked some stuff up this morning. The college has a childcare program that we can use while we are in classes. Some scholarships can even help pay for it. After that, I'll have basketball to keep my scholarship. I can work weekends and some weeknights. You can take care of the baby and you don't need to worry about working. I'm going to do whatever I need to do to make sure we'll be okay. If that means I have to work full time until you finish school, then I will."

Gabriella was shocked, "Are you sure? Last night you looked upset, like you weren't sure whether to be mad, sad, or just to get rid of me."

"I know, but I was just shocked. After I had some time to think, I realized I couldn't be happier. I don't regret this at all. We will be fine. Are you okay with all this?" Troy asked Gabriella's opinion.

Gabriella grinned, "Oh Troy, I'm so happy you're going to stick by me on this. I love you."

Without wasting another second, Troy took Gabriella's hands in his, "Will you marry me?"

"Well, okay Troy, but..."Gabriella began.

Troy cut her off, "No Gabby. This isn't like us just talking about it. I'm proposing, officially."

"I'm not sure what to say. Are you proposing because I'm pregnant?" Gabriella questioned.

Troy shook his head and dropped to one knee, "No. I was going to propose on New Year's Eve, but I thought now would be the perfect time." He pulled a ring box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a simple diamond ring that Gabriella recognized right away.

"Is this my grandmother's ring?" Gabriella was speechless.

Troy nodded and slipped the ring on her finger, "Yeah. I asked your mom if it would be okay that I ask you to marry me. It was a few weeks ago that she called me into the kitchen one day that I came to see you and you were in the shower. She pulled it out of a drawer and handed it to me. She said it was her mother's and she really wanted you to have it. Gabriella, I love you. I want to be your husband. What do you say?"

"Troy! I love you so much. Of course I'll marry you." She and Troy stood up and hugged, while two employees behind the counter applauded.

Troy blushed as they sat back down. He had never felt so happy or worried ever in his life. As happy as he was that she said yes, he had to get serious again, "What are we going to tell our parents? When are we going to tell our parents?"

"Well," Gabriella sat back and sipped on her juice, "I was going to suggest we tell them all at the same time, but then I got to thinking. I think we should tell my mom first. You know, get the easiest out of the way first. Your mom might be okay, but I don't even want to be in the same state when your dad finds out, let alone in the same room. We'll be together when we tell them, of course. I thought we'd tell my mom when she gets back from work and we can tell your parents tonight after your dad gets home. What do you think?"

Troy sighed, "Sounds like the best plan we got."

"I know this is going to be hard, but I think we'll be okay," she paused, "I've got to go to the bathroom, and then we should get going."

They both stood, "I'll go wait for you in the truck." He walked out the door as Gabriella made her way to the bathroom. When he got to the truck, he grabbed his cell phone and called Chad. "Hey man, what's going on? Nothing. I was just wondering what you and Taylor were doing today. Just hanging out? Well I was wondering if the four of us could meet up for lunch or something. Yeah, okay. I'll call you in a little while. I've got to talk to Gabby first. Yeah, later." He hung up just as Gabriella was exiting the building.

"Who was that?" Gabriella asked as she approached.

Troy stuck the phone back in his pocket, "Chad. I told him we wanted to meet him and Taylor for lunch. I really think we should tell them too."

"You're right. We should." Gabriella climbed in the truck beside Troy and directed him to the doctor's office.

Troy followed her instructions and before long, they were sitting in the parking lot. Troy's hands trembled as he turned off the ignition, "I'm starting to get nervous."

"Don't worry. It will be painless…for you. Let's go in. We are going to need to fill out some forms before we see the doctor." Gabriella hopped out of the truck and held Troy's hand as they entered. Gabriella led him to the front window to check in. The receptionist handed them both a clipboard and told them to have a seat and fill the forms out.

After they sat, Troy stared blankly at the form, "I'm sorry. What's this for?"

"They just want your family's medical history. They want to see if we could be carriers for anything the baby might inherit. They'll test the baby early if they think there could be something wrong." Gabriella explained quietly.

"Oh, okay." Troy began filling the form out. It didn't take long. Everyone in his family was healthy. After ten minutes or so, a nurse called Gabriella's name. Troy approached the nurse too, "What do I do?"

The nurse looked at him, "Are you the father?"

"No! I mean, I'm the baby's father, not Gabriella's." Troy's face turned red.

The nurse almost died laughing, "First one, huh? You can come in too" Still chuckling, the nurse weighed Gabriella and led her and Troy to an examination room. She took Gabriella's temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. Then she handed Gabriella a gown and a cup. "Take the cup into the bathroom and give a urine sample. You can just leave it on the sink in there. Then come back in here and change into the gown. The doctor will be in soon."

Gabriella left the gown on the table and walked down the hall to the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later and began to change into the gown.

Troy smiled, "You are beautiful, you know. Even in that gown."

Gabriella giggled as there was a knock on the door and it opened, "Hi, I'm Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy. You must be Gabriella and Troy." Her pager went off, "Oh. I need to make a phone call. If you'll excuse me for a minute, I'll be right back and we can get started."

After she exited, Troy crossed to the sink and took a drink out of a little paper cup, "Are you nervous yet, because I'm shaking like a leaf over here."

Gabriella nodded, "A little bit. Just come and sit down, she'll be right back."

A few minutes later, as promised, the doctor returned, "Sorry about that. My daughter's head was stuck in the couch. Don't ask, I'm not sure how she pulled it off. Anyway. How are you doing?"

"Nervous," Troy chuckled.

Gabriella had stopped giggling, "We're doing okay. Really anxious though."

The doctor nodded and took a seat, "Understandable. First-time parents, first appointment, especially being so young. Nevertheless, you both appear to be healthy and you don't have any major medical problems in you family. About how far along did you say you were?"

"I'm not sure. I had a light period last month and I was a couple weeks late for this month's period when I took a test two weeks ago. I went to my family practitioner on Monday and they did a blood test that confirmed it. I'm guessing 7 weeks." Gabriella replied nervously.

"Okay, have you ever had a physical examination before?" Doctor Kennedy asked as she pulled on her rubber gloves.

Gabriella nodded, "Once. This summer."

"All right, then you know the drill. Slide down to the end of the table and put your feet in the stirrups. Then just lay back and try to relax." Gabriella did as she followed the instructions and the doctor began the examination, "All right, I'm going to tell you what I'm doing. I'm going to do the Pap smear though you've had one done within six months, you've had sex since then and I'm still going to do the STD test."

"Why do I need the STD test? Troy and I have only ever been with each other. Neither of us would have anything." Gabriella wondered.

The doctor looked at the young couple, "I don't have to do it, but I like to routinely do the test no matter how many partners either of you have had, just to rule everything out."

"Go ahead, better safe than sorry, I guess." Gabriella consented.

The doctor continued the exam, "All right, I'm just going to take this speculum and insert it into your vagina and open it so I can see your cervix and get a tissue sample for the tests. Just relax, so were you surprised to learn you are pregnant?"

"Yes. I was very surprised," Gabriella explained while trying to keep calm.

The doctor was scraping a flat, wooden stick on the wall of Gabriella's cervix, "There, that's done. Now I'm going to remove the speculum and feel the top and bottom of your uterus to see how big it is." The doctor inserted two fingers into Gabriella's vagina and began pressing on her stomach. "Huh, that's interesting. You said you had your period last month?"

"Yes, why? Is something wrong?" Gabriella sat up slightly, "Is there something wrong with the baby?"

The doctor stood, removed her gloves, and threw them in the garbage, "I don't think so, but just to be safe, I think we'll do an ultrasound."

"Doctor," Troy spoke for the first time since the beginning of the exam, "what's going on?"

Doctor Kennedy smiled, "There's nothing to be concerned about. Your uterus measured bigger than it should have."

"So what does that mean?" Gabriella inquired.

"It means that you are either farther along than you thought, or you may have more than one baby in there. I'm going to do the ultrasound to see if there is more than one baby or not because women who are carrying more than one need different care than a woman who is only carrying one. Plus, with the ultrasound, we can see the approximate size of the baby so maybe we can tell your due date a little better. I need to go down the hall to get the ultrasound machine. While I'm gone, you can put your clothes back on. I'll be right back." The doctor shut the door behind her and neither Gabriella nor Troy moved a muscle.

Finally, Gabriella got up and started dressing herself, "Twins, Troy. She's saying it could be twins."

"I don't think it is. I think it's the other thing she said." Troy was mainly trying to reassure himself.

Gabriella threw the gown in the hamper and sat back down on the exam table, "I hope you are right. One baby was enough of a shock; I really don't want to find out that there is more than one."

A minute later, Doctor Kennedy reentered, pulling a large machine behind her. Troy jumped up to hold the door open for her. Doctor Kennedy parked the machine next to the table and began plugging it in to the wall, "Thank you Troy. I've tried to talk them into putting one of these in each room, but it's not 'cost effective,' so we have two that we lug up and down the hall. Okay, Gabriella, I'm going to ask you to lie back again and pull your shirt up above your stomach." Again, Gabriella did as the doctor instructed her. Doctor Kennedy took a paper towel and tucked it over the top of Gabriella's pants. Then she put a clear, gooey substance on Gabriella's midsection, "Sorry its cold. Now, let's get started. I'm going to take this wand and run it over your abdomen. It sends little sound waves to the baby and they bounce back, giving us an image. Imagine it like a bat catching its food. Okay, so let's find a baby." The doctor began moving the wand across the goop on Gabriella's stomach. After a minute or so, a shape appeared on the screen. "Ah, look at that."

Gabriella and Troy were looking and were shocked by what they saw. The form of a baby was distinguishable, even to the untrained eye. They were speechless.

Doctor Kennedy chuckled, "Well. There isn't more than one baby, but you are farther along than we thought. The ultrasound confirms what I thought: you are about 11 weeks along. So the good news is that your morning sickness is almost over."

"Eleven weeks! But I had my period last month." Gabriella was surprised.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, but you already said that it was light. Sometimes, around when you are supposed to get you period, you'll get light spotting. It's from the egg implanting itself to the wall of the uterus. It's perfectly normal. So that means your due date is about June 17 and that also means we should be able to hear the heartbeat, but let's finish the ultrasound. So this is the head, and here you can see little legs and arms. Here you can see the heartbeat. Everything is looking good."

"Holy cow! Did it just move?" Troy asked loudly causing Gabriella to jump.

Doctor Kennedy laughed, "Yes, Troy. The baby starts moving around in the early weeks of the pregnancy. Gabriella should be able to feel the baby move between the 18th and 24th week. Some people have felt it by the 14th week, but that's unusual, especially for a first pregnancy. Soon after that, you should be able to feel the baby move outside the body. So Troy, you will be able to put your hand on Gabriella's stomach and feel the baby kick. Pretty cool, huh?"

Troy grinned, "I'll say."

Doctor Kennedy smiled, "You are the type of people I love to see walk into my office. It makes my day so much better to see how happy the two of you are. So do you want me to make a few pictures for you?"

"Yes!" Gabriella and Troy answered together.

Doctor Kennedy laughed, "All right, let's get one of the heart and one of the whole body. Oh look, it's mouth is open. Let's get that one. Let's get a couple more. There, all done. Now I'll turn the volume up and try to find the heartbeat." She turned a knob and placed the wand back on Gabriella's belly. After a minute or so of a strange sound, the monitor picked up a steady, almost whooshing noise, "There it is."

"Oh my god. That's my baby's heartbeat?" Gabriella almost cried.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, and I'd say that it's about 150 beats per minute, with is excellent."

"Doctor, can I record that with my cell phone?" Troy inquired.

Doctor Kennedy nodded, "Of course."

Troy took out his cell phone and began recording the sound of his child's heart beating, "Got it."

"Okay," Doctor Kennedy wiped off the wand and turned the machine off, "You can take that paper towel and wipe the gel off your stomach. I'll be right back."

After she had left, Gabriella looked at Troy lovingly, "Troy, that was our baby. Can you believe it?"

"It's a miracle." Troy leaned over and held his girlfriend. They didn't even hear the doctor return. She cleared her throat, causing them to release their hold on each other. Troy's ears turned red, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Doctor Kennedy smiled, "I have a packet of information here that you both should read. There also a list of services, such as classes, that the hospital offers and a list of books and websites that I, as a mother, recommend you read. The pictures from the ultrasound are also in there. If there aren't any other questions, I'll send the nurse back in to take some blood. Then you can go. Oh, I almost forgot. Here is your prescription for prenatal vitamins. It's important that you take those."

"I have a quick question. What about sex? I mean is it safe for us to have sex?" Troy was a little embarrassed to ask but he figured it was better to ask then not to know.

Dr. Kennedy didn't change her facial expression or anything. She got this question all the time, "Sex is perfectly safe for now and some mild cramping during of after sex is normal, but if the cramping is severe, you should call. Anything else."Gabriella looked at Troy, "No other questions. Thank you."

"No problem. Any bleeding along with cramps, heavy bleeding by itself, or any unusual feelings, give me a call. Here's a card with the office number and my home and cell numbers. If you can't reach me, wait half and hour and try again. If you still can't get a hold of me, go straight to the ER. I'll see you in a month." Doctor Kennedy handed Troy the folder and left the young parents-to-be alone.

Almost immediately, the door opened and the nurse from before returned with a small box, "This will only take a few minutes and then you need to go to the front desk to schedule your appointment for next month." She put on her rubber gloves, wiped Gabriella's arm off with an alcohol wipe, and stuck a needle in her vein. Gabriella was fine but Troy sat with his hand over his eyes. The nurse extracted two vials of blood, removed the needle, and gave Gabriella a Band-Aid. "Don't forget to make next month's appointment. We'll call you in a few days with the test results, so you'll need to make sure the front desk has the correct number to reach you. Have a good day."

Gabriella led Troy from the examination room and down the hall to the front desk, "I'm going to give them your name and number also. That way if they call me and can't get a hold of me, they can call you and I'll give them permission to tell you any information they would originally tell me."

"Okay, if that's what you want. If you don't mind, I'm going to go wait outside. I need some air." Troy gave her a quick kiss, exited the building, and walked to his truck.

A few minutes later, Gabriella joined him, "All set. My next appointment is December 19th at 10:30am. They scheduled it earlier than normal because of the holidays. If it's okay with you, I'll borrow your truck to come to the appointment so we both aren't missing school. It's just a quick checkup anyway. The next one you should go to is the February appointment. That's probably where we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Do you mind running to Wal Mart? I need to get that prescription filled."

"No problem," Troy ran around to her side of the truck and held the door open. Once she was in, he shut the door and ran to his side of the truck. He climbed in and started the truck. It only took a few minutes to get from the doctor's office to Wal Mart. When Troy parked the truck and turned it off, he turned to find Gabriella crying, "Gabby, what's wrong?"

Gabriella sniffled, "Troy, I'm so happy. I love you so much and when I found out I was pregnant, I was scared that you'd be mad. I thought maybe you'd break up with me."

"Why would I do that? You know I love you," Troy scolded playfully, trying to get her to stop crying.

Gabriella shrugged, "I know, but its such a life-changing event, I thought maybe you would think that a baby would ruin everything you've worked for."

"That would never happen. Even if I didn't want a baby right now, I'd still be right here for you because I love you and you mean the world to me. This is just so amazing that we created something so beautiful together." Troy hugged Gabriella and kissed her, "What do you say we go in, drop off your prescription, and look at baby stuff until its ready. We can figure out what we are going to need."

"Troy, how did I ever find someone as wonderful as you?" Gabriella asked as she wiped her eyes and climbed out of the truck.

Troy grabbed Gabriella's hand and walked inside with her, "Just lucky, I guess."

First, they walked to the pharmacy to drop off the prescription, and then they walked to the baby section. The young couple walked around the cribs and diapers hand-in-hand for about a half an hour before they wandered into the book section. Gabriella found one of the books that was on the doctor's list, "I think I'll pick this up for me and I'll get this one for you," She held up a copy of Daddy Smarts: A Guide For Rookie Fathers.

Troy pulled the books out of her hands and chuckled, "Ah-ha-ha-ha, you're funny. Fine, we'll get it, but I'm paying."

"Troy," Gabriella started, "you can't keep paying for this stuff. I have money too."

Troy took Gabriella's hand and started leading her toward the pharmacy section, "I know, but I'm the father. I should be providing for you."

Gabriella stopped walking with Troy and turned toward the grocery section, "Troy, while I appreciate the offer and I am in no way trying to sound greedy, I'm going to need more help buying stuff like the crib and car seat. Not to mention the fact that I don't have a car, so we'll be using yours all the time. You need to make sure it's in good condition. Our baby is going to ride in it." She picked up a jar of dill pickles.

"Pickles? Don't tell me we need ice cream too." Troy laughed.

Gabriella shook her head, "Nope. I am just starving and these sound really good. So anyway, will you let me pay for the books?"

"My book. I'll pay for yours. It'll be our first baby gifts to each other. Deal?" Troy held out his book to her.

She took it and started walking back to the pharmacy, "Deal." Gabriella picked up her prescription and paid for everything there, then handed the bag to Troy, "I've got to go to the bathroom. Why don't you pay for that, then call Chad and see if they want to meet us for lunch, or whatever? I'll meet you by the truck." Gabriella went to the bathroom while Troy checked out.

As soon as he was out of line, he picked up his phone and called Chad, "Hey. Me again. Do you still want to meet for lunch? Twenty minutes or so. The Deli. All right. Later."

When he got to the truck, Gabriella was already there, "Took you long enough. Are we meeting them?"

"Yep," Troy nodded, "at The Deli in twenty minutes. Do you want to eat your pickles now?"

Gabriella shook her head, "No. I think I'll wait to see if there is something a little more substantial that I can eat before I eat a bunch of pickles." They were at the restaurant within ten minutes and found a good table next to the window. Soon after, Chad and Taylor showed up and sat down across from Troy and Gabriella.

"Hey what's going on with you two lovebirds?" Chad asked as he picked up a menu.

Troy sniggered, "Look who's talking. The two of you are all lovey-dovey, goo-goo eyes."

"Shut up," Chad threw a balled up napkin at him, "where's the waitress? I am starving." The waitress showed up within minutes and took all there orders. Even Gabriella ordered a sub. After she got their drinks and went to put their orders in, Chad turned to Troy. "So what's going on? This is the first time you have ever called and asked to have lunch with all four of us. What? Are you guys engaged or something?" Gabriella held out her left hand and showed off her grandmother's ring. Chad choked on the soda he was trying to drink, "Man, nice rock. Where'd you find it?"

Troy put an arm around Gabriella, "It was Gabriella's grandmother's ring. I was going to buy her one, but Gabriella's mother said that she really wanted Gabriella to have it and I thought it was a better ring than any I'd looked at. Plus, I knew that Gabriella would love it, but there's something else."

Chad was still sipping on his soda, "What?"

"Put the soda down," Troy advised. Once the soda was safely on the table, Troy continued, "Gabriella and I are going to be parents."

Taylor squealed and leaned across the table to hug her best friend, but Chad couldn't say anything. Finally, he picked up his soda again and took a big gulp, "Are you kidding man?"

"No, why would I be kidding?" Troy questioned.

Chad was talking quietly, "What about your scholarship? They've all but handed it to you. You can't get it if you don't play."

"I know. I still plan on playing. The school has childcare so Gabriella and I can still go to school and I can still play basketball. I don't plan on giving up my scholarship." Troy explained.

Chad shook his head, "I don't understand how this could have happened."

Taylor gave him a look, "Oh yes you do. You two have been best friends forever. It's fate."

"Um, I'm a little lost," Gabriella spoke up, "what are you talking about?"

Taylor leaned close to Gabriella and Troy, "We are expecting too."

"Oh my god!" Gabriella and Taylor shared another hug.

Troy reached across the table to shake his friend's hand, "This is awesome man, why didn't you say anything?"

"We just found out this morning. We were almost at the doctor's office when you called me this morning." Chad explained.

Gabriella looked at Taylor, "Where was your appointment? What time was it?"

The waitress came back with their food. No one said anything so they wouldn't be overheard. As soon as she was gone, they continued their conversation. "It was ten o'clock this morning at the hospital." Taylor responded.

Gabriella smiled, "Mine was at 10:30. Who is your doctor?"

Taylor pulled out a piece of paper, "Dr. Roberts. It was a short appointment. He was called out for an emergency c-section. We were in there basically long enough for me to get poked and prodded, then he left."

"How far along are you?" Troy wondered.

Taylor smiled, "Only 6 weeks. I'm due on July 22. That's the only thing that the doctor really told us. I have another appointment on the 19th at 11:00am. They wanted to get it in before the holidays."

Gabriella squeaked, "My appointment is the same day only half an hour before. We can go together. I was telling Troy that I should take his truck to my appointment. That way, he wouldn't be missing school or basketball practice. You could come with me and the guys can stay in school. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a good idea. So how far along are you?" Taylor questioned.

Gabriella grinned, "Sorry, I'm 11 weeks along. I'm due on the 17th of June. They did the ultrasound today because I thought I was only 6 or 7 weeks, but my uterus was measuring bigger."

"So you got to see your baby today?" Chad almost sounded jealous.

Troy nodded, "Yeah. I've got the pictures right here." He pulled them from the envelope and spread them out on the table.

"Looks like an alien," Chad commented, turning his head in different directions.

Gabriella smirked, "Not at all. Look, here's the head, and the arms and legs, and in this one its mouth is open."

"What's this one?" Taylor pointed to a picture that didn't really look like anything.

Gabriella turned it around, "This one is the heart."

"We heard the heartbeat today." Troy added with pride. He pulled out his cell phone and played the sound clip for his friends.

Chad looked stunned, "Whoa, that's freaky. I don't know if I should miss the next appointment if they do the ultrasound."

"They probably won't do it at the next appointment," Taylor chimed in, "They probably won't do the ultrasound until the March appointment. The only reason they did Gabriella's early is that she thought she was only six weeks along. Her uterus was measuring larger than someone's '6 week' uterus. They wanted to make sure she wasn't having twins."

The other three at the table stopped and stared at Taylor. "How do you know so much?" Chad questioned.

"I have two nieces. My sister keeps a lot of stuff in her old room because she doesn't have room for it in the apartment. All the baby books she bought were in there. I've read almost all of the since I tested positive." Taylor explained.

Gabriella was still nibbling on her sub after everyone else had finished. "Are you having any morning sickness?"

Taylor shook her head, "Not at all. I'm lucky. Except for the fact that chocolate has been giving me heartburn. Other than that, I feel fine."

"Lucky you," Gabriella grumbled. When the waitress dropped off their check, Gabriella got a take out contained so Troy could take the rest of her sub home with him. She wouldn't finish it. "We really should be going. My mom should be home by now and we've still got to tell her and Troy's parents."

Taylor grimaced, "Same here, except I have to call my dad and tell him. The same thing happened with my sister. I think my mom will be okay with it. At least I think Chad's dad will handle it better than Troy's dad."

"Very funny," Troy chuckled uneasily.

Gabriella and Troy stood up, "Okay, well call us later, after you tell your parents." Gabriella hugged Taylor again and Troy semi-hugged his best friend before they went back outside.

"Holy cow. The way things work out. I mean, our best friends are having a baby about the same time we are. That's cool. At least _they_ took it okay, but Taylor was right, my dad will be pissed." Troy stated.

Gabriella hugged him, "But my mom won't, so let's go see her. Do you have the pictures?" Troy handed them to Gabriella. She slipped them into the folder and the headed off to break the news to her mother.

After Troy and Gabriella got out of the car, Troy grabbed her hand and held it tight as they walked to the front door. He leaned in before she opened it and whispered, "I'm with you no matter what."

One final hand squeeze and smile, and Gabriella opened the door, "Mom! Are you home?"

A voice came from the living room, "In here dear! I want to talk to you!"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Gabriella asked as she and Troy entered and sat down on the couch, facing her mother.

"Not much, "Gabriella's mother looked up from a book, "Oh, hi Troy. I was just reading this book. I bought it a few weeks ago and I haven't had the chance to look at it let alone read it. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you."

"We want to talk to you too Mom." Gabriella was going to tell her mother before she lost her nerve.

With a quick glace at Gabriella's left hand, she was sure she knew what they were going to tell her, "Okay, about what?"

Gabriella took a deep breath, "Well we have something to tell you." She stopped, grabbed Troy's hand, and took another deep breath.

"What's going on?" her mother wondered, "It can't be that bad. Just tell me."

Gabriella shook her head, so Troy broke the news, "Mrs. Montez, Gabriella and I are going to have a baby." Gabriella nodded in agreement.

"You're pregnant?" Mrs. Montez closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them, "When did you find out?"

Gabriella answered, "I took a home test two weeks ago and it was positive. I went to Dr. Edwards's office on Monday and they did a blood test that confirmed it. I had my appointment with Dr. Kennedy this morning. I didn't tell Troy until yesterday."

"So you mostly came to me as soon as you found out. Well, I'm glad you didn't wait too long. So how far along are you?" Marissa questioned.

"The doctor said about eleven weeks. I'm due June 17th." Gabriella answered.

Mrs. Montez was curious about her daughter's pregnancy, "You didn't realize until now that you were pregnant?"

Gabriella shook her head, "No. My first 'missed period,' I didn't realize I missed it. It was really light. I thought it was just a light month. Then I didn't have anything this month when I was supposed to, so I waited a couple of weeks before I took a test. It was a bright pink positive. I thought I was only about 6 weeks along or so."

"Can I ask something? Were the two of you careful?" Mrs. Montez asked rationally.

Troy spoke for the first time since they broke the news, "Every time. We were always careful. It was just an accident."

Marissa nodded slowly, "So how are the two of you feeling about this?"

"Well, I was really shocked at first. I wasn't sure what to think. After talking to Gabriella for a while and going to the appointment, I'm a little happy and excited. It's not something we planned on happening, but I'm not sorry it did. Everything happens for a reason, right? And please don't worry. I'll be here for Gabriella and the baby regardless." Troy stated responsibly.

Gabriella smiled, "I'm a little scared, but I know I've got you and Troy to help me through. I'm sort of happy too. Is it wrong to feel that way, given the situation we are in? I mean, normal couples who are in love get pregnant all the time and its fine, but we're two high school seniors. It's not as socially acceptable."

Gabriella's mother smiled slightly, "Not at all. It's a good thing that you are happy. You two are so young that it would be bad for you and the baby if you were mad or resentful. So…"

"We have something to show you." Gabriella interrupted. She pulled out the ultrasound pictures and spread them out on the coffee table in front of them.

Mrs. Montez put a hand to her mouth in shock, "Is this…" Before she could say another word, Troy played the sound clip on his cell phone. "That's my grandchild's heartbeat?"

"Yes," Gabriella began explaining what the ultrasound pictures showed, "This one is its mouth open. Here's one of the whole body, complete with arms and legs. This is the baby's heart."

"Oh my…" Mrs. Montez was almost crying.

"Mom, if it's all right with you, Troy and I will go make dinner. Then we can all sit down and talk. After dinner, Troy and I have to go tell his parents, but afterward we'd like you to come over so the five of us can sit down and talk. Does that sound okay to you?" Gabriella suggested.

"That sounds fine," Marissa nodded, "I'll just be in here looking at these. Troy, can you send that sound clip to my phone?"

Troy pulled out his cell phone again, "No problem." He pushed a few buttons and within seconds, Marissa's phone buzzed. Troy and Gabriella then went to the kitchen. When they were safely inside the kitchen, Gabriella and Troy shared a big hug and kiss, "This wasn't so bad," Troy whispered.

"Yeah. My mom was the easy one. Your dad is going to be furious." Gabriella remarked as she began pulling boiling water on the stove. "We just have to make it clear that this won't interfere with our education or your basketball. I just hope we have a baby with a good temperament.

Troy chuckled, "Me too. So I was thinking we should get married before the baby arrives."

"I think that's a good idea…" Gabriella and Troy discussed the wedding and the baby without feeling guilty for doing so.

After half an hour, Troy went to get his future mother-in-law for dinner while Gabriella set the table. The three of them sat down and passed around the spaghetti and sauce. Gabriella passed the sauce without taking any.

"Don't you want any sauce?" her mother asked as she put a large spoonful over her plate of pasta.

Gabriella shook her head, "Not unless I want to throw it all back up. I don't know why they call it morning sickness. It's 'all-day sickness' for me. The doctor said it should be ending soon though. Besides, anything with tomatoes gives me heartburn."

Her mother laughed for the first time since they told her she was going to be a grandmother, "That is something I don't miss at all. Morning sickness, aches and pains, and I had the strangest craving to chew on pencils. At least I hope you'll be lucky. With Michael, I had morning sickness the whole pregnancy."

Troy stopped eating, "Who is Michael?"

"Gabriella didn't tell you? Michael was… is her little brother. I had him when Gabriella was only a year old. I was working late and asked Jorje, my husband, to pick up the kids from the babysitter. They were in an accident on the way home. Michael and Jorje died before an ambulance could even get there. Gabriella was rushed to the hospital but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. Other than some cuts and bruises, she was fine. A semi ran a red light and t-boned the car on the driver's side. Gabriella was sitting on the other side of the car. It was the only thing that saved her. She's my little angel." Marissa explained calmly. It had been so long since the accident that she could actually talk about it without breaking down crying.

"Oh wow. I can't believe she never told me." Troy looked at his fiancé.

Gabriella shrugged, "I was only two when it happened. I don't remember it at all. Besides, Mom tells it better."

"It's okay. I still love you." Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella. They were never into public displays of affection, but since they learned they were going to have a baby together, it didn't seem to bother them.

After dinner, Troy and Gabriella offered to clean up but Marissa kicked them out, "You two made the dinner. Besides, Troy's dad should be home by now. You'll call me when you want me to come over?"

"Of course. Mom, thanks for understanding." Gabriella hugged her mother.

Mrs. Montez smiled, "A baby is a wonderful gift. As young as you are, you are smart. I think you'll be able to handle it. And I know I will be right here to help you. Troy," she gave Troy a hug as well, "welcome to the family. You are stuck with us now."

Troy smiled, "That's fine with me."

"Bye. I love you. I'll call you in a little while." Gabriella hugged her mother again and followed Troy out to the truck.

He turned to look at her before they pulled out of the driveway, "I want you to remember that I love you no matter what happens. Now, did you remember the ultrasound pictures?" Gabriella nodded. "Good," Troy pulled out of the driveway and began driving toward his house, "we're going to need them."

"Mom, Dad, are you home yet?" Troy called as they entered the house. They searched the house until Gabriella spotted them in the backyard. The couple went outside to join Troy's parents, who were staring up at the sky. "Hey Dad."

Jack turned to find Troy and Gabriella had joined them, "Hey Troy, what's going on?"

"Can I talk to you?" Troy inquired.

Jack put his arm Troy and leaned in close, "Privately?"

"No, Dad. I want to talk to you and Mom." Troy responded.

"Sure. Let's sit down." The four of them sat around the picnic table, "What's going on?"

Troy took a deep breath, "Mom, Dad, Gabriella and I have something to tell you."

Jack interrupted, "You've decided to go to the same college, right?"

"No Dad, please just listen to me." Troy pleaded.

Jack shrugged, "Are you two engaged?"

"Dad, Gabriella is pregnant." Troy blurted out.

"What?!" Jack rose to his feet, "How could this have happened?"

Troy also stood, "Dad, calm down. It was an accident. We didn't plan for it to happen."

Jack's face was getting redder and redder, "You know what, this whole relationship was an accident and I blame myself. If I hadn't thought a family vacation would be a good idea, the two of you would never have met, you wouldn't have gotten caught up in this singing thing, and you wouldn't be stuck taking care a girl and her baby the rest of your life!"

Gabriella couldn't stand to hear anymore, got up, and ran inside the house. Troy was furious, "Dad! In case it didn't occur to you, it's my baby too! It took two of us to make it. Oh yeah, and we are engaged! I plan on marrying her and having a family together and there is nothing you can say or do that is going to change that!"

"Well you've already ruined your life so what's it matter what I say now!" Jack was not giving up easily.

Troy's mother stood up and got in her husband's face, "Jack Bolton! Where do you get the right to talk to Troy and Gabriella that way? The same thing happened to us and we turned out fine! Now I really think that you should take a deep breath, go inside to find Gabriella, and apologize, because if you hadn't noticed, you scared her off!"

Jack looked around, he hadn't noticed. Without another word, he turned and went into the house. He found Gabriella sitting on the couch in the living room, sobbing. He sat down next to her, "Gabriella, I'm very sorry I said those things. I'm not mad. I'm just very shocked. I didn't know what to say. I didn't mean what I said."

Gabriella was still crying, "Mr. Bolton, I'm sorry. It was an accident. We were always careful. I didn't tell Troy he had to help. I told him I would take care of the baby by myself, but he wouldn't even listen to that idea. I didn't mean to mess up his life."

"Gabriella," Jack suddenly felt like an even bigger jerk. He reached out and hugged her, "I'm sorry. Listen to me; you didn't mess up his life. You didn't do anything wrong. Molly and I will be here to help you with whatever you need. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me."

Gabriella nodded and wiped her eyes, "I understand, Mr. Bolton. I'm not mad at you."

"Well that makes one of us. I'm extremely mad at myself. I don't know why I said any of those things. Do you want to come back outside and talk?

She smiled and nodded, "Okay. I'm going to calmly mom and have her come over so we can all talk. I'll be out in a few minutes, Mr. Bolton."

"Please call me Jack. You're family now." Jack suggested nicely. He was trying to make up for being such a jerk. He went back into the yard leaving Gabriella to make her phone call.

When he saw his father without Gabriella, Troy jumped to his feet, "Where is Gabriella?"

Jack crossed his arms, "I beat her and threw her in the basement. Troy, what are you thinking? She is inside calling her mother. She'll be out in a few minutes. We're all going to sit down and talk. Listen, I wanted to apologize to you too Troy. It was wrong of me to say those things. I really like Gabriella. I don't know what is wrong with me. I was shocked, but that's no excuse. I'm sorry."

"All right. I'm still mad at you, but I do understand. It might take me a while to forgive you." Troy was still furious, but his dad was trying to make things better.

Jack nodded, "That's fine. You can be mad all you want. I know I won't forgive myself for a while either."

"I'm going to go inside. Look at these while I'm gone." Troy handed his mother the envelope of pictures and took off to find Gabriella. She had just got off the phone when he ran to her and held her tightly. "I love you so much. I am so sorry for what he said."

Gabriella kissed Troy softly, "You couldn't have known that he would say such awful things. It's okay."

"Its not okay, Gabby, but I'm glad you're not too mad. I love you so much. Now the real fun begins. I'm going to marry you and I don't care what my dad says. It's our life and we will do what we want." Troy stated firmly as there was a knock on the door. Troy went to answer it as Gabriella wiped her few remaining tears from her cheeks. Her mother entered and they all walked into the backyard together.

Molly ran over to Gabriella and hugged her, "Those pictures are beautiful. How far along are you?"

"About eleven weeks. I'm due on June 17th so I can finish school and not worry about the baby." Gabriella answered.

Molly hugged Gabriella again and went to greet Marissa. Troy moved quickly to his girlfriend's side and they sat down at the table together. After a few minutes, everyone was sitting down at the table and ready to talk.

"So when were the two of you planning on getting married?" Marissa started.

Jack interjected, "Wait a minute. The two of you don't have to get married just because you're having a baby together. I mean, at least not right away."

"Dad, I was going to propose to Gabriella on New Year's Eve anyway. The pregnancy has nothing to do with us getting married." Troy clarified.

Marissa spoke again, "It's true. Troy asked me if he could propose to Gabriella months ago."

"We weren't really sure about a date yet. We figured we'd talk to you first. We want to do it before the baby is born though." Gabriella gave her opinion.

Molly agreed, "That's a good idea. Where are the two… I mean three of you going to live?"

"Well I figured we'd get a small apartment or something around here so we don't have far to commute to college. They have a really good childcare program for students that runs until seven at night so that gives us plenty of time for classes and basketball practice for me." Troy explained what he and Gabriella had discussed.

"You're still going to school?" Jack sounded hopeful.

Troy nodded, "Duh. We aren't putting our education on hold. I need to play basketball for my scholarship and Gabriella is smart enough to get any scholarship she wants. Plus, our scholarships will pay for childcare and some will even give us a housing allowance for off-campus living."

"Oh, that's really good." Jack had assumed Troy wasn't going to college. He was relieved to find that he was wrong.

Molly spoke up, "What's the point in that? Why spend money, even scholarship money, on childcare when I'm here all day with barely anything to do? Anyway, we have extra room here. You wouldn't need to find your own place."

"Hey, that's a good idea. Instead of living here in the house, though, we could fix up the space above the garage and they could live there. That way, we are really close if they need us, but it gives them some privacy." Jack suggested.

"When is all this going to happen? What about school? She's going to start showing soon. It might be easier if they were married before she started showing to eliminate a lot of questions. I just want the two of you to know that it will be hard with everyone, including your friends, talking behind your back. Besides, it would probably be easier to have them adjusted to living together at least for a while before the baby comes. We don't want them to have a week to get used to living with each other and then have the baby come and add more stress to the situation." Marissa was concerned for her daughter, Troy, and the baby before anyone else.

Gabriella stood, "Can we get a minute?" She led Troy over to the other side of the lawn, "Maybe she's right Troy. I love you, but she's right about giving ourselves time to get used to being married and living with each other before we have another life to take care of. What do you think?"

Troy put a hand on either of Gabriella's arms and kissed her, "Listen to me; I would marry you tomorrow if that is what you wanted. I just want to be with you. I think, though, that my dad and I should get the apartment ready before we get married. Then we move into our own place and don't have to worry about staying with your mom or my parents after we are married. We could have the apartment done in no time at all. Chad could help me while you and Taylor order us around with your feet propped up."

Gabriella giggled, "Sounds like something we would do. All right, let's go back over there."

The couple walked back over to the table to find their parents whispering to themselves, "What's going on?"

"Hey," they all straightened up, "what were you talking about?"

Troy and Gabriella sat back down, "Well, Gabriella and I decided that it probably would be better to get married before she starts to show, or at least before she can't hide it with sweatshirts or anything. Dad, I was thinking we could get started on that garage soon. We could get married after Gabriella turns 18 in January. That's gives us plenty of time, right?"

No one spoke for a few minutes. Their parents seemed to be lost in thought. Finally, Jack spoke, "That sounds like a good idea to me. Why don't you go up to the apartment and see what you want done with the place, then come back down and tell us what you think?"

"Okay." Gabriella and Troy stood and went to the back staircase of the garage. Troy led Gabriella, who almost fell, up the stairs and into the apartment, "We'll definitely need to get some lights for the stairs."

Troy nodded, "Did you get the feeling they were trying to get rid of us?"

"Yeah, but that's okay. Let's see what needs to be done up here." Gabriella reached over and flicked on the light. There wasn't much to look at. It was a big, open room with some boxes piled against one wall. "Well now what?" Gabriella asked with a shrug.

Troy started wandering around the room, "Well, how many rooms do you want?"

"Well," Gabriella thought aloud, "We need a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. Two bedrooms would be nice, but we can work with one. What do you think?"

Troy was looking through the boxes, "Oh wow, Gabby. Come look. It's my baby book."

Gabriella sat down next to Troy, "Aw, look how cute you were. Holy cow! Eight pounds, fourteen ounces is a big baby."

"Yeah, and I bet you were tiny." Troy mocked.

"Six pounds, eleven ounces, thank you very much." Gabriella stated cutely.

"Okay, you win. So I was thinking about some names." Troy mumbled.

Gabriella laughed, "Why? Did you want to have little Troy Jr.?"

"No," Troy shook his head, "I was going to tell you I didn't want Troy Jr. I haven't thought of a different one for a boy yet, but I like Amelia for a girl. What about you?"

Gabriella smiled, "I kind of like Amelia too, but I really like Renee. I like Alexander for a boy, Xander for short."

"I like Alexander. Alexander Michael Bolton has a nice ring to it." Troy repeated the name again.

Gabriella snuggled against Troy, "I really like that. What did you think of Renee? It could be Renee Amelia."

"Or Amelia Renee. We'll have to argue about that some other time. Right now, I think we should go back down and make sure our parents aren't planning to perform an abortion on you while you are sleeping."

"Troy, that's not funny." Gab chuckled.

Troy tickled her sides, "Then why are you laughing?" They played around for a few minutes and wound up lying on the floor together. "You know," Troy rolled onto his side to face Gabriella, "This is amazing. I never really thought this would ever happen to us, but now that it has, I'm so happy. I know a lot of people would feel like their life was ending, but I feel like ours is just beginning."

"Me too. I can't believe we'll be getting married in less than two months. Everything is happening fast." Gabriella commented.

Troy looked concerned, "Isn't this what you want? Because if its not, then tell me. I don't want to get married and then find out you didn't want to. I only want to marry you if it will make you happy too."

Gabriella hugged Troy tightly, "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Of course, I want to marry you and not just for the baby, for us. All I meant was I can't believe our parents were that accommodating. Especially your dad. I thought they'd at least need more time to get over the shock.

"I think Mom threatened him. Besides, I think he understands that we are still going to school and we aren't going to put that on hold. I think that was his main concern. Plus, he feels bad about the stuff he said so he's probably being overly nice. I'm sure after you and your mom leave, he'll have a few things to say to me." Troy sighed.

After a minute, Gabriella spoke, "Troy, there is something I wanted to ask all day, but I didn't get the chance." Troy turned to look at Gabriella as she continued, "Why did you ask the doctor about sex?"

"I love you. If you think that I don't want to have sex with you, you are crazy. You are giving me a baby. I am so in love with you that I think I might burst and I like being with you. If you don't want to, that's fine, but I want you to know that I am ready whenever you are." Troy kissed her gently.

Gabriella looked around, "Like now?"

"Not now," Troy answered, "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to, but I don't want to take chance of them coming up here to find us. Soon though, very soon. We should go back down there. I'm sure you are tired and probably want to go home. I'll see you tomorrow anyway."

Gabriella sat up, "You're right. I am beat. This has been a very busy day."

"Now I have a question about the apartment," Troy stood and helped Gabriella to her feet, "Do you want real walls or divider walls?"

Gabriella shrugged, "What's the difference?"

"Real walls are thick, like in a house. They are more expensive and harder to put in. Divider walls are like cubicle walls. They still offer privacy and they are definitely cheaper and easier to install, but they don't offer much of a sound barrier." Troy explained.

Gabriella shrugged again, "Whichever. Cheaper is probably better. The sound absorption won't be a problem until the baby is older and I hope we aren't still living above your parents by then. I don't really care what you do with it, but I want to help pick out carpet, wall color, and stuff like that."

"Deal. Let's get out of here. Watch you step on the stairs." Troy led Gabriella down and back into the yard. "They must have gone inside."

They went inside and found their parents talking in the living room. Jack turned to look at them, "Well what do you think? Will it work?"  
"Yeah, Mr. Bolton. It's great. It will be fine." Gabriella replied sweetly.

He chuckled, "What did we talk about?"

"Sorry Mr. Bolton, I mean Jack. It's kind of a habit." Gabriella blushed.

Marissa stood up, "Are you ready to go home? You look tired."

"Yeah, I'm ready." Gabriella began walking toward the door, "Thank you for everything. It's very kind of you to offer your home to me."

Molly hugged Gabriella, "You just let us know if you need anything. Call us any time, day or night."

"Thank you. I'll probably see you all tomorrow. Good night." Marissa went out first and Gabriella followed.

Troy went out right behind them, "I'll walk you out." Once they were outside, Troy hugged Gabriella and gave her a quick kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too. I'm going to try to go through that packet of papers tonight and bring over anything I think you should read tomorrow." Gabriella said.

Troy shrugged, "I'd really like to read all of them."

"Okay." Gabriella told Troy she loved him before she climbed into her mother's van. Troy waved until they were far enough away that Gabriella couldn't see him anymore.

"So," her mother began, "how are you doing?"

Gabriella sighed, "Overwhelmed. I mean, telling you and the Bolton's had to happen as soon as we could, but not we are getting married soon and moving in together. It all happened really fast."

Marissa threw her daughter a look, "Gabriella, if you don't want to get married, you don't have to."

"I want to, but like I said, it happened fast, "Gabriella reassured her mother, "I really love him."

"Well I'm glad, but promise me that if you are even a little uncomfortable with the prospect of marriage, please let me know and we'll figure something else out." Marissa pleaded with her daughter.

Gabriella reached over and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder, "Don't worry. I will be a lot more open with you now. I don't feel like I've got anything to hide."

"That's good to know. Listen, I really need to talk to you. I was going to talk to you earlier, but you had your own announcement. Do you still feel like talking or do you want to go to bed and talk tomorrow?" Marissa pulled into the garage and got out to shut the door.

Gabriella got out and waited for her mother by the door to the house, "I can talk. I'm not very tired, I just wanted to come home and relax before I go to sleep."

The two women went in and sat at the bar in the kitchen. Marissa spoke first, "My Company wants me to move again. This move is optional for me, but they'd really like me to go. I guess I did such a good job in the New York City office that they want me there full time. It would be a salary and title boost. I wanted to see if it would be okay with you , then I was going to arrange for you to stay here to finish school, but that's taken care of now. I'm only going if it's okay with you."

Gabriella didn't waste any time, "When will you be going?"

"Late January, early February, and I can fly back down here whenever you need me." Marissa explained, "And I will make sure you get whatever money you need for the baby, school, or whatever."

"So you'll be here for the wedding?" Gabriella asked.

Her mother nodded, "Of course. I wouldn't miss my baby's wedding. Plus I get a bonus for moving so I'll be able to get you some nice furniture for the apartment."

"Thanks Mom, that's really nice, but I don't care about the money. If you want to go, that's okay with me. You have to promise me you'll be here when the baby is born. I don't think I can go through it without you." Gabriella begged.

Her mother stood and hugged her daughter, "I promise I will be here. My first grandchild needs to know who their grandma is." She walked over to the stove and turned on the flame over the kettle. "Do you want something to drink? I'm dying for some hot chocolate."

"Okay," Gabriella got up and began helping gather the ingredients before sitting back down.

"So," Marissa smiled, "what do you want? A boy or a girl? I was lucky. I wanted a girl, then a boy and that's what I got."

Gabriella shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, I'd like a girl to dress up and stuff, but I want a boy too. I just want them to be healthy."

"Got any names picked out?" her mother interrogated.

"Well, Troy and I both like Alexander for a boy, but we are torn between Amelia and Renee for a girl. What do you think?" Gabriella wondered.

Marissa thought for a minute, "I think I like Amelia better. What would the boy's middle name be?"

"We were thinking Michael. So you like Amelia Renee better. Taking Troy's side over mine, I see." Gabriella teased.

Marissa got back up to finish making the cocoa, "I'm not taking Troy's side. Either way sounds good. I do like Michael though. It's nice." She carried the cups to bar and sat down again.

Gabriella added milk to hers and handed it to her mother, "I really like the name Alexander. We'd call him Xander for short." The two women talked about baby names and sipped their cocoa until Gabriella's phone rang.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Gabriella's mom wondered.

"Taylor," Gabriella answered the phone, "Hey, how'd it go? Really? That's good. No, Troy's dad was furious. Hey, listen, I'm talking to my mom right now. Do you want to come over tomorrow for lunch? Around one-ish? Okay. Good night." After she hung up, she turned back to her mother, "Sorry, I figured she would have called before now."

"You told Taylor first?" Marissa sounded hurt.

Gabriella nodded, "I'm sorry. I wanted to get someone's opinion before I told you. Besides, she's pregnant too."

"Really? With Chad? Did you guys plan this?" Marissa joked.

Gabriella shook her head vehemently, "NO. Of course not. She's only six weeks along anyway."

"Well, that definitely strange. What did Chad say?" Gabriella's mom asked curiously.

Gabriella shrugged, "He didn't really say much. He didn't seem to upset by it. Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," her mother responded.

Gabriella sighed, "Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not, sweetheart. I love you. I'm not someone who thinks their teenage daughter ruined her life because she got pregnant. I think that you are smart and I know that if you and me, and Troy and his parents all stick together, everything will turn out okay. I know Troy loves you and you two will be great together." Marissa reassured.

Gabriella smiled, "I'm glad you are happy. Troy's dad was madder than I have ever seen anyone. He said some pretty nasty things."

Marissa stopped smiling, "What did he say?"

"It was nothing, Mom. He just said some mean things. He came right to me and apologized, though." Gabriella explained.

Marissa repeated herself, "What did he say?"

"He just said that Troy ruined his life and that he shouldn't have to take care of a girl and her baby. Mom, it's really okay. He felt really bad for saying it." Gabriella assured her mother that he didn't mean what he said.

"All right. Well, why don't you head up to bed? You look exhausted. After your lunch with Taylor tomorrow, do you want to go shopping? You're going to need some new clothes pretty soon." Marissa picked up the mugs, placed them in the sink, and walked into the other room.

"All right. That sounds like a plan. It will be fun. Love you. Good night." Gabriella, not hearing a response from her mother, got up and went up the stairs to her room. After going to the bathroom and putting her pajamas on, she climbed into bed. Her emotions were a complete turn around from the night before. She was so happy she could cry. The only thing she was feeling from the night before was exhaustion. Within minutes of shutting the light off, Gabriella was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Gabriella woke with a start. The sun was shining brightly into her bedroom. She rolled over to look at the clock and found it was nearly noon. She was going to jump up out of bed, but knew she would get sick if she did. Instead, she climbed carefully out of bed and went quickly to the bathroom to relieve her screaming bladder. She really wanted to shower, but she still had to cook lunch for Taylor and herself. She made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen where she found her mother already cooking.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep?" Marissa asked cheerfully.

Gabriella looked at her mother strangely, "Fine. How about you?"

"Just beautifully. I decided to take the day off and invite Taylor and her mom over for lunch and then a girl's day out. We can get our hair and nails done and then go shopping." Marissa suggested.

"Mom, are you okay? Have you been drinking?" Gabriella was a little concerned.

Marissa laughed, "You know I don't drink, I'm just having a good day. I talked to my boss this morning. He said they need me in the New York office for a week before Christmas and then I don't need to be there permanently until the middle of February. I also get a big bonus for moving. You and I need to go to the bank today so we can start your own account."

"Mom, you don't have to do that." Gabriella was still a little groggy.

"Nonsense. Even if you didn't need things for the baby, I'd make sure you have extra money for school and stuff." Gabriella's mother explained. "Why don't you go get a shower and dressed while I finish breakfast?"

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get anything up and I am very sorry that it is so short! I hope to have more up in a week. I accidently erased the other part of this chapter so I need to retype it. I hope it doesn't take too long. Thanks for reading and please review.


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